If You Build It
by Vincent Raven
Throughout my time on Second Life (SL), I have been to a lot of interesting places and interacted with a lot of interesting people. I have seen the best that SL has to offer, and, unfortunately, the worst. However, one of the greatest things about this amazing world is the creativity that it places at the fingers of each individual person. This creativity can come in many forms, whether it be a knack for hosing an event of some kind, making music, or planning a wedding with all the bells and whistles. There’s also a method of creativity that sits behind the scenes, away from all of the music and dancing of the late-night club events.
If you’ve been on Second Life as long as I have, you’ll know that it has a vast online marketplace, where ‘residents’ can buy and sell merchandise, quite similar to how they would in the real world. This merchandise could be anything, whether it is avatar accessories, clothing, or even full homes and apartments. We often forget that these creators take time out of their day to make these things, and in the case of clothing alone, it is a painstaking process that takes time and patience. These creators put in long hours to create the content that we know and enjoy, and like the real world, we forget about the process entirely.
Note: to visit the sandbox or area or your choosing, please click on the image in the slider below.
Quite recently in my travels, I was reminded of this creativity firsthand. I, too, have a passion for it, and I am contented by the fact that this art form has not died with the times. I stumbled across what Second Life residents refer to as a sandbox. These are large open areas dedicated to and intended for building anything the resident might want to build. Talk about the possibilities; you can build anything here! And let’s not forget, building things on Second Life is so simple, and the learning curve so small that you could easily figure it out on your first day. The creator of this particular sandbox obviously had the residents in mind during its construction, because not only is it absolutely quiet here, but there is nothing around you that could distract you from what you are doing.
There’s a quaint little place over at Helping Haven Gateway, which hosts one of the best and most helpful sandboxes on Second Life. Upon first arrival, their central hub is full of helpful information. You’ll find two sandboxes there, as well as links to other areas. They also have at least three areas for rezzing. One is in front of their building supplies store, one is near the shared homes, and another s near an eagle in which one can ride for entertainment. All three of these rezz areas are suitable for unpacking whatever you desire, and the best part about it is, their time limit for builds being rezzed is more than reasonable, at least over an hour. This should give you more than plenty of time to hash out your creativity. And, with there being at least three major sandboxes, you have plenty of room without having to get in someone’s way. If you would like to check it out yourself, head on over to Helping Haven Gateway and see it for yourself.
